The Catholic Archdiocese of Ibadan, led by the Archbishop, Most Rev. Gabriel Abegunrin, has donated a waiting lounge to the University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan, for patients and relatives’ relaxation.

Speaking at the inauguration of the ‘Caritas Waiting Lounge’, on Friday at UCH In-Drive of the Emergency Department, the UCH Chief Medical Director (CMD), Prof. Jesse Otegbayo, said the lounge brought a great relief to patients and their relatives.

Otegbayo said the project fitted perfectly into the catchphrase of his administration, which is “Patients’ comfort and staff welfare”.

The CMD said that the location of the facility (very close to emergency department) is strategic to the operation of the hospital.

He added that the Emergency Department of the hospital is the first point of contact for most of the patients.

“It plays host to a large number of relations who do not have where to wait when the stainless metal chairs are occupied.

“I recall that prior to my assumption of duty as the CMD, patients’ relations were sitting on bare floor. But within a few months of being in office, we provided stainless metal chairs for their comfort, which still subsist today.

“This building will, after commissioning, be readily available for use,” he said.

Otegbayo emphasised that UCH is a collective legacy and pride, and called on all to be active to make the hospital functional and efficient.

He appealed to well-meaning Nigerians, corporate organisations and philanthropists to come to the aid of the hospital for effective healthcare service delivery.

“The management, staff, students and our teeming patients remain eternally grateful to the Catholic Diocese of Ibadan for this kind gesture of making life comfortable for our patients and their relatives.

“This will go down in history as a step toward ameliorating the hardship being faced in the course of accessing treatment.

“We thank the Caritas Foundation through the office of the Archbishop, the Most Rev. Gabriel Abegunrin, for this generous donation.

“We assure you that we shall make optimum use of this facility for the service of God and humanity.

“Our institution will be strengthened for greater efficiency if all within the different strata of the society, join efforts to make provisions that will make life more meaningful and capable of bringing sucour to people.

“Apparently, we have had a fair share of what makes life better for our teeming patients, even though our space is always available for more.

“It is of great importance for us to appreciate what we received today,” Otegbayo said.

Abegunrin remarked that the church donated the building out of its kindness to ameliorate the burden of patients and relatives at the hospital.

“Over the years, I see patients’ relatives lying on the floor at the corridors and it was pitiable, so I had the burden with the church to do something to help.

“The materials used for the edifice are expensive and they are the type that will last long, so we thank God for making today a reality,” Abegunrin said.

November 30 has been fixed for the burial of former Senate President Joseph Wayas, who died three years ago.

Wayas, who served as senate president from October 1, 1979, to December 31, 1983, died on November 30, 2021, at a London hospital after a protracted illness. He was 80 years old.

On July 10, his remains arrived in Nigeria after several controversies that followed the repatriation of his corpse.

Speaking on Thursday at a press briefing in Calabar, the capital of Cross River, Dorn-Cklaimz Enamhe, secretary of the central planning committee for Wayas’ burial, thanked Bassey Otu, governor of the state, and other individuals for repatriating Wayas’ body.

Enamhe noted that the committee, in collaboration with other authorities in Nigeria and the Nigerian High Commission in the United Kingdom (UK), worked together to ascertain the authenticity of the body.

He also appreciated the media for constantly reminding the nation that the body of the former senate president was yet to be buried.

“Unfortunately, the body has been kept this long due to issues and disagreement among members of his family,” he said.

“We had to wait for these issues to be resolved, and as of today, they have been resolved; that is why we are going ahead with the burial.”

Nsa Gil, the chief press secretary to the governor of Cross River, added that the funeral would be held at the UJ Esuene Stadium in Calabar and later at the deceased’s hometown in Bassang, Obanliku LGA.

Senate President Godswill Akpabio and many other dignitaries are expected to attend the burial.

There was chaos at a federal high court in Abuja on Friday after some children who allegedly took part in the #EndBadGovernance protests collapsed while waiting to be arraigned.

The court had fixed Friday for the arraignment of the defendants who are mostly minors.

At the commencement of proceedings, the children who looked ill and malnourished, were asked to come forward to take their plea.

While some huddled in the dock, others stood outside the cubicle due to insufficient space.

However, four of them hurriedly rushed out of the courtroom after they collapsed and writhed in pain.

Obiora Egwuatu, presiding judge, had to rise abruptly before calm returned to the courtroom.

When the court session resumed, the prosecution asked that the names of the four ill children be removed from the charge.

The application was granted and the other defendants were arraigned.

The 76 defendants, who were arrested in Abuja, Kaduna, Gombe, Jos, Katsina, and Kano states, are being accused of treason, among other offences.

https://twitter.com/thecableng/status/1852309277764997444?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1852309277764997444%7Ctwgr%5Ec500a2a236c0f70ce53380bdb6b1065d6240e471%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.thecable.ng%2Fjust-in-minors-collapse-in-court-as-fg-arraigns-76-endbadgovernance-protesters%2F